There are various types of devices that have been proposed for attachment to containers to facilitate the emptying of the contents from the container. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,578 discloses a pour spout provided with a flange portion for attaching the pour spout to the exterior surface of a container. The flange portion of the pour spout is attached to the exterior surface by heat sealing the plastic material from which the pour spout is fabricated to the plastic outer coating on the container. Such an arrangement is susceptible to certain improvements because it has been found that the securement of the pour spout to the container may deteriorate somewhat over time. In particular, once the pour spout is attached to a container, it is believed that the plastic layer on the container has a tendency to undergo additional curing or other changes. As a result, the adhesion at the interface between the flange portion of the pour spout and the outer surface of the container may be affected and diminished slightly, e.g., the plastic coating on the container may shrink slightly relative to the flange portion of the pour spout.
While this consideration is of concern in most all types of pour spouts that are secured to a container, it may be of particular concern in the case of pour spouts which have a flip top type of reclosable cap for closing the pour spout. In the case of pour spouts employing a flip top type of reclosable cap, an upwardly directed force is required to open the cap. If the integrity of the attachment of the pour spout to the outer surface of the container has been diminished in the foregoing manner, the force required to open the cap will contribute to further diminishing the secure attachment of the pour spout to the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,434 discloses a method of securing a pouring spout in liquid-tight relation to the innermost and outermost surfaces of a carton. The pouring spout is provided with a preformed flange and a liquid passageway oriented substantially perpendicular to the flange. The pouring spout is mounted on the carton by inserting the liquid passageway of the pouring spout through a hole that is cut in the carton. The flange is brought into contacting relation with the outer surface of the carton wall while the liquid passageway is deformed to form a second flange on the interior of the carton. Sufficient heat and pressure is then applied to the two flanges to continuously fuse the flanges to the innermost and outermost layers of the carton wall around the entire periphery of the hole in the carton. This pouring spout is also susceptible of various improvements.